This summer, our Republic will celebrate the Declaration of Independence, one of the most influential documents ever written in human history. While many of the concepts presented may have originated with John Locke, it was Thomas Jefferson’s masterful prose that literally changed the world. The ideas that we all share in the natural rights of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” continue to resonate throughout the modern world.
Even with Jefferson’s eloquent pleas for the natural rights of the individual, there were still those in the colonies who would not enjoy those privileges for many, many decades. Women, for example, and, most notably, the sons and daughters of Africa. Some years before the gunfire at South Carolina’s Fort Sumter in 1861, Frederick Douglass, perhaps the most eloquent black voice of the nineteenth century, famously questioned why Black Americans should hold the Declaration of Independence, and its celebratory holiday, July 4th, with passionate reverence. That was 1852. That question continues to invite reflection today.
Still, the sons and daughters of Africa would go on to defend the spirit of Jefferson’s 1776 argument that “all men are created equal,” in the American Revolution, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, and WWI. History reminds us that the first “war to end all wars” would be particularly troublesome for the Black community. Northern industrial cities promised an escape from racism and oppression. That was an illusion. The violence committed against the Black community between 1919 and 1926 illustrated the extent to which they continued to face violence and exclusion during this period. During this seven-year period, there were 361 reported lynchings and 33 reported race riots (including the infamous massacres in Tulsa, Longview, Chicago, and Rosewood). Particularly troubling were the incessant attacks on black veterans. A report from the Equal Justice Initiative indicates that at least 35 black veterans between 1865 and 1950 were “accosted, attacked, or lynched.” A sad example was the 1918 lynching of Private Charles Lewis in Hickman, KY, in December 1918, while still wearing Uncle Sam’s uniform. Of course, these are only the ones we know of.
In addition to recognizing and celebrating the genius of Thomas Jefferson, this Republic should also acknowledge the genius of Dr. Carter G. Woodson. As the second son of Africa to earn a PhD from Harvard (WEB DuBois was the first), Woodson dedicated his career to the study and preservation of African culture throughout the diaspora. His book The Mis-Education of the Negro (Associated Press, 1933) is still considered required reading in many high school AP courses and college African American Studies curricula. He also initiated the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History) and The Journal of Negro History (now known as The Journal of African American History) in 1915 and 1916, respectively, to study, research, and disseminate information by and about black people.
Perhaps Woodson’s greatest contribution was his untiring efforts in the preservation of black history and culture. This led him to create Negro History Week in 1926, one hundred years ago. Many in our society today believe February was chosen because it’s the shortest month in our calendar. But Woodson chose February to honor the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. It is perhaps no coincidence that this celebration of black life and history expanded to the entire month of February in 1976, as this Republic engaged in a year-long bicentennial celebration.
Times have definitely changed from Woodson’s post-WWI years. The preservation of black history and culture today is no longer an afterthought. The achievements of African Americans in nearly every aspect of society (i.e., science, sports, entertainment, and politics) are celebrated on par with those of other groups in our society. While most are comfortable with iconic black giants such as Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, other lesser-known black giants certainly contributed to the greatness of today’s world (i.e., George Washington Carver and Langston Hughes).
Today’s black community understands that one month cannot contain the vastness of the influence of the diasporic African culture. We must commit to telling the stories of those who may not be household names year-round. Men of courage like Benjamin Banneker, Dorie Miller, and Chappie James, and women of science like Mae Jemison and Sian Proctor. And lest we forget those other trailblazing women (Phillis Wheatley, Zora Neal Hurston, and Toni Morrison) whose storytelling forced the world to not only recognize the intellect and humanity of black women, but also acknowledge the joys and pains of living in a female body too often relegated to the shadows.
Ronald E. Goodwin, PhD
Yes, we should celebrate Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence. Regardless of how long it stands, this Republic has permanently etched on the consciousness of mankind monumental achievements, such as the Wright brothers’ 12-second flight in 1903 that eventually led to Neil Armstrong’s “giant leap for mankind” in 1969. Celebrating these accomplishments in no way diminishes celebrating Woodson and his legacy of preserving black history and culture. Can one celebrate the Declaration of Independence and Woodson’s legacy of preserving black history and culture in the same year? I think so.
Ronald E. Goodwin, PhD, is Professor and Interim Division Head of the Division of Social Sciences at Prairie View A&M University.
Academic course instruction is not affected by the passage of SB 17. The law specifically states that its limitations may not be construed to apply scholarly research or a creative work by an institution of higher education’s students, faculty, or other research personnel or the dissemination of that research or work. This page reference is to the specific research interest of a professor, Dr. Ronald Goodwin.
